Motivational Speaker

Glenda Watson Hyatt shares her
experiences living with cerebral palsy to
motivate and inspire others to think about
how they perceive their own situation and
their own world around them. She does all
this by typing with only her left thumb!

Being an extremely small business owner, I constantly have an eye on the expenses. Whenever possible, I avoid spending because, even though business expenses are tax deductible, there needs to be an income from which to deduct it.

Every tax season is a cause for angst; not because of the process, but rather which software do I use? The familiar and trusted yet pricey one? Or, the cheap unknown?

With last year being abysmal on the financial front, in addition to the personal front, I decided to go with the cheap option â€“ as in 1/10th price cheap. I was nearly all the way through both my husbandâ€™s and mine taxes when I encountered an error. After attempting everything I could think of, the error could not be corrected, which meant that I could not get to the â€œPrint & Fileâ€ step.

Frustration mounted. Chocolate was inhaled.

Nothing worked.

After a moment of hesitation on my part, my husband went down two blocks to our office supply store and returned with the familiar and trusted software (and takeout for supper).

Within two hours, I had the software installed, registered, and updated; I had the data from last yearâ€™s returns transferred into this yearâ€™s; and, I had completed, reviewed and filed both of our taxes. More than a month early.

The lesson learned here is that, even though keeping an eye on the financials is always necessary, sometimes the more expensive option is worth it. Using the right tools is key to making the most of the 4-Hour Workday; there is no time to waste on subpar tools.

Next year there will be no angst. The familiar and trusted software will be purchased without hesitation. My sanity and time are worth it.

What is one business tool you splurge on because it is worth it? Feel free to share in the comments below.

Did you know that with as few as 24 pages of content, you can have an actual book (you know those ORDs â€“ Old Reading Devices) available for sale on Amazon through their CreateSpace service?

I became vaguely aware of Amazonâ€™s print-on-demand service a few years ago, but I was reluctant to go down that route because I still had (and still do have) boxes of my autobiography Iâ€™ll Do It Myself sitting in my living room. I wasnâ€™t keen on using CreateSpace until more of the already printed copies sold.

However, recently, this realization struck me: I was doing potential readers a disservice by not having paperbacks available on Amazon. Rather than having my book available where people buy millions of books online. I was expecting them to happen across my tiny website, to realize I had a book for sale and then to buy said book. How inconsiderate is that?

Much too my relief, uploading my book to CreateSpace was relatively quick and painless. Actually, that was the easy part of the whole process.

Some individuals might say that by having the paperback format now available on Amazon creates a passive income. I say: bull hooey! I now need to ensure potential readers can find my book amidst the millions of other books; that requires work. It might not mean as much work as writing the book in the first place, but work is still needed nevertheless. I like to consider this as less-effort income, which, really, is way more accurate than passive income the big guys talk about.

Now that I know how easy CreateSpace is to use, Iâ€™ll be going through previously created content to see what I might be able to repackage and to offer to readers where they prefer to buy books. Of course, the goal will be to provide quality content of value; too much content offered on Amazon is lacking in value. Readers deserve better than that!

This plan dovetails nicely with the intent of the 4-Hour Workday: to generate more â€œless-effort incomeâ€ so that I can get out and enjoy more of life. I know my Faith kitty would have approved.

Even with eliminating my breakfast orange juice â€“ the likely suspect for the drop in my energy levels back in March, I was still experiencing a significant lack of energy, headaches and other unexplainable, nonspecific aches and pains. It was time to visit my doctor who, in turn, sent me to see the vampire.

Yesterday I received the results. I have an extremely low iron level; even below the range of low level of iron. That likely explains my tiredness, headaches, my achy arms and legs, my nightly jumpy legs that I put down to my cerebral palsy even though I donâ€™t recall having jumpy legs a few years ago.

I am now taking an over-the-counter iron supplement and I need to check in with my doctor monthly for the next three months, then he will order more blood work. This is totally treatable.

You have no idea how much of a relief this is to me. Not only because it is something fairly easy to fix, but also because it is not my fault other than, perhaps, for not eating the right foods. I have been so hard on myself in recent months for not focusing, for not applying myself, for being lazy. When, actually, my body was not getting what it needed to function properly. I was running on less than fumes without even knowing it. Now with this new piece of knowledge, I can release all of the guilt and move forward and upwards from here, even though it might be a slow process.

From this experience I have learned two lessons:

Knowing thy body and really paying attention when something is out of whack is crucial.

At times consulting a doctor (or medical professional) is necessary. Sometimes they actually have the answers.

How is this relevant to the 4-Hour Workday?

Simple. Making the most of the 4-Hour Workday is about more than using the right tools and strategies, about more than productivity. Making the most of the condensed work day means your energy and focus need to be at their optimal level, whatever that level is for you. Mine was low and my work was suffering; I was struggling to get even four hours of work in each day and I was berating myself for that, daily, which didnâ€™t do much to my motivation or self-confidence; ironically, the berating was wasting of precious energy.

The release of the first ebook of the 4-Hour Workday series will be slightly delayed while I finish writing it within my wavering energy levels. The good news from this is that the topic for Ebook #2 is beginning to reveal itself. Visit 4hourworkday.com for more about this project.

How do you know when your health is at your optimal levels? Feel free to share in the comment section below.

March was a rough month in terms of staying on track with my 4-Hour Workday.

Each day I began with good intentions. But then, after a couple hours of working at my desk, I would lose my concentration and focus. Iâ€™d then get pulled into Facebook, waste too much time and then stop for lunch and to do a few mundane tasks â€“ like empty the dishwasher or swap the wash into the dryer. I would then sit back down at my computer to attempt to finish my list of 6 things to do that day.

Every night, when I laid down my head, I would beat myself up for not trying harder, for not applying myself, for frittering away yet another day. I would fall asleep, mad at myself.

Every day Iâ€™d awake with good intentions and to try again. Yet, the same cycle repeated itself.

I had no clue why, except it must have been been me not focusing or trying hard enough. I mean, what else could it be? What had changed?

Easter Monday I was talking with my husband while finishing my watered-down orange juice. My energy level plummeted â€“ Darrell watched it drop like a rock and I felt it. I needed to lie down on the couch before I passed out.

It then struck me: family members had kindly made a run to Costco for us while they were here at the end of February . I had been drinking the Costco brand of orange juice the whole month of March. The juice was what was different?

Was the change in orange juice brand responsible for my lack of focus and energy? Perhaps, was it also responsible for the numb and tingling in my left foot, which was a new ailment last month? And the vague but persistent headaches.

But how is that even possible?

For the last umpteen decades, my breakfast routinely consisted of whole wheat bread, peanut butter and orange juice from concentrate â€“ and a banana, when they were in a house. That gave me a quick n easy breakfast, which I thought was fairly healthy and balanced, and kept me going until lunch. It was what I knew and what I thought worked for me.

But, since substituting my OJ for water or green tea, I have felt more focused, more clear headed and the most of the strange pains have vanished.

I am deeply relieved that my lack of focus and productivity was not my doing, but rather my foodâ€™s. However, I am now feeling unsettled because what I thought was good for me and worked for me is clearly not. Now I wonder if the general tired feeling that I have felt for ever was because of my food, not so much because of my cerebral palsy, which was one reason for implementing my 4-Hour Workday in the first place.

I now see how what I eat for breakfast is crucial in having a successful 4-Hour Workday.

What is on your breakfast menu? Does it keep you energized until lunchtime?

â€¦the best way to get more done may be to spend more time doing lessâ€¦[That] strategic renewal â€” including daytime workouts, short afternoon naps, longer sleep hours, more time away from the office and longer, more frequent vacations â€” boosts productivity, job performance and, of course, health.

There is nothing like having a horizontal thinking session with my kitty in the middle of the afternoon, spending time macreming or puttering in my flower boxes when the weather permits. It not only refills my energy tank, but it also allows me the time and space to think, to ponder, to contemplate so that I can problem solve, create and do efficiently during my shortened workday. This is making the 4-Hour Workday work for me.

How do you renew your energy on a regular basis? Do you find it increases your productivity? Feel free to share in the comment section below.